The Solution
A Passport to the World in the Palm of Your Hand
It was this realization that inspired IoT product developer SourceNext to create Pocketalk, a line of translation devices designed to simplify communications across language barriers. Powered by a comprehensive platform that can quickly and accurately recognize words and phrases from 82 separate languages by selecting from multiple cloud-based translation engines to find the translation most suitable for each language pair, the Pocketalk family of devices and services offers a full-service solution for the language barrier.
The flagship of this product line is the Pocketalk S, a handheld translator that features a 2.7-inch HD touchscreen, a user-friendly single-button interface, and a text-to-translate camera that can make signage and menus more accessible for users.
There is also a Pocketalk plus model that provides the same services and functionality as the S, but with a larger screen and extended battery life; as well as a Pocketalk classic model, which removes the camera to support battery life of up to 240 hours! Each Pocketalk device comes with a complimentary 2-year data plan that connects each device to a central translation server, ensuring the most comprehensive and up-to-date translations possible.
Designers looked beyond Pocketalk’s ability to be a travel companion and created a solution that is just as useful in more dire situations. Pocketalk offers many HIPAA-compliant solutions intended specifically to help medical professionals connect with those in need. To prove this, the company donated several hundred devices to medical facilities combatting Covid-19 at the onset of the pandemic.
“The pandemic helped us see just how valuable Pocketalk is in the healthcare space and, to that end, we are empowered and passionate about it helping break down barriers between healthcare providers and patients,” said Joe Miller, General Manager at Pocketalk. “Not only can tech help doctors and nurses and other medical professionals do their job, but it also allows for vital relationship building, which is crucial within the healthcare sector.”
The company has even donated 1,000 Pocketalk devices to the Ukrainian Embassy in its native Japan to help those individuals displaced by the ongoing conflict with Russia. This has proven invaluable to many of the displaced Ukrainian families who have found their way to Japan, most of whom face difficulties from the language barrier.
“I’m sure they’ll have many chances to help in tasks like administrative processes at local government offices or opening a bank account,” said Pocketalk president Noriyuki Matsuda. “I hope they might also help them get to know Japanese people, too, and, in some small way, ease the loneliness of being separated from their homeland.”
Pocketalk has also donated several hundred devices to border towns in Poland to aid in the ongoing evacuation.